Chicago, Ill.
- As the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches this
August, SIGGRAPH 2009 is poised to host thousands of international
computer graphics and interactive techniques professionals in the city
of New Orleans. While the downtown New Orleans area is well prepared to
host this global audience, the larger New Orleans community is still in
need of support, says a representative. To give back to the New Orleans
local community, SIGGRAPH introduces the SIGGRAPH 2009+1 Outreach
program, giving people from around the globe opportunities to give back
through a series of partnerships with local organizations.
These outreach efforts focus on helping to educate local youth about enriching careers in technology and creative arts with a long term goal of strengthening the community as a whole by investing in this next generation.
"With its history rich in the arts and music, New Orleans is the quintessential SIGGRAPH host city. It will have hosted SIGGRAPH now three times and the tourism experience is even better than before," says Jerome Solomon, SIGGRAPH 2009+1 outreach chair from Industrial Light & Magic. "The creative influences and unique characteristics that are deeply rooted in the city's art, music, architecture, and food closely correspond to the personalities and interests of the caring and generous SIGGRAPH community. Our '2009 + 1' outreach programs build on this spirit and will generate a lasting impact on this deserving community."
SIGGRAPH 2009+1 Outreach program details include:
Algiers Technical Academy: A charter high school that is part of the Algiers Charter Schools Association, features several courses to train students in computer graphics.
SIGGRAPH is performing a complete makeover of the school's computer room and creating a new student computer graphics lab with computers donated from Walt Disney Animation Studios and software donated from Autodesk. Volunteers are needed to assist with painting, decorating, hardware setup, networking, software installation, and general cleanup of the lab. Volunteers can register online at http://www.siggraph.org/s2009/community/outreach/ata.php.
Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp: A camp that trains 100 young people per year (ages 10-21) in music and dance on a very limited budget. It also offers three week-long training programs in the music business, recording engineering, and music notation technology for advanced students.
To support the camp, SIGGRAPH 2009 is partnering with Basin Street Records to offer a custom album of music by some of the city's finest musicians. Proceeds from the $9.99 album download will support the camp and its musical kids. Plus, this allows people from around the world to help out an important New Orleans initiative. The album is readily available for download from http://lists.smithbucklin.com/t/814112/31035145/54570/0/.
NOCCA - New Orleans Center for Creative Arts: A school in New Orleans providing pre-professional arts training to middle and high school students in culinary arts, dance, media arts, music (classical, jazz, vocal), theater arts (drama, musical theater, theater design), visual arts, and creative writing.
SIGGRAPH is bringing 50 students from NOCCA and 50 students from Algiers Technical Academy for a mentor/mentee day with attendees that will provide students with a glimpse into a variety of professions available in the world of computer graphics and interactive techniques. Registration information is available here: http://www.siggraph.org/s2009/community/outreach/nocca.php
Tipitina's Foundation: A non-profit organization that features "Instruments a Comin," a program that provides new musical instruments to New Orleans area schools.